Tag: Foreign Office

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 22 April 2024.

Following North Korea’s ballistic missile launch on Monday 22 April, an FCDO spokesperson gave a statement.

An FCDO spokesperson said:

North Korea’s ballistic missile launch on 22 April is another breach of multiple UN Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs). Unlawful ballistic missile launches continue to destabilise the peace and security of the Korean Peninsula.

The UK strongly urges North Korea to stop such provocations, return to dialogue and take credible steps towards denuclearisation.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 22 April 2024.

Statement by UK Political Coordinator Fergus Eckersley at the UN Security Council meeting on Kosovo.

Let me say at the outset that the UK welcomes the clear commitments to peace and dialogue that we heard today from both Serbia and Kosovo. Despite the differences, we believe that is the only approach that can bring stability and prosperity to the region.

President, the UK is a long-standing supporter of Kosovo’s sovereignty and independence. We commend the government’s efforts to strengthen the rule of law and welcome the implementation of the 2016 Constitutional Court ruling on the Decani Monastery’s property.

This commitment to reform brought Kosovo a step closer to realising its aspiration to join the Council of Europe. This will bring tangible benefits for all of Kosovo’s citizens. The UK looks forward to working with Kosovo on the next steps towards a positive decision by the Committee of Ministers.

Yet the absence of a comprehensive and conclusive normalisation agreement between Kosovo and Serbia continues to have negative implications across the region.

While we welcome the progress in December on the energy roadmap and licence plates, fundamental issues remain unresolved. We encourage both sides to engage constructively in the EU-facilitated Dialogue, delivering on their respective obligations, including establishing an Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities.

This needs to be accompanied by a commitment to build a conducive environment for further progress on the Dialogue.

In our view, three factors are particularly important:

First, this means Kosovo should exercise its sovereign powers in a way which reflects its multiethnic population, demonstrating sufficient regard for Kosovo’s non-majority communities. We urge the parties to work with EUSR to identify technical solutions to ongoing challenges around the implementation of the new regulation on foreign currencies.

Second, it means Srpska Lista and other Kosovo-Serb political actors should not stand in the way of Kosovo-Serbs exercising their democratic rights and having their voices heard. We believe that the boycott of the mayoral recall votes in the four northern municipalities yesterday has only left us further away from restoring the representative democracy that the local population deserves.

And finally, it means justice for any, and all, violence. Serbia should ensure that the perpetrators of the shocking events in Banjska last September, and the attacks on NATO KFOR personnel last May, are held to account.

And in that context, as a long-standing supporter of international action and accountability for victims of conflict-related sexual violence, let me on behalf of the UK salute the immense courage of all those who speak out about their own personal experiences.

In closing, I’d like to express the UK’s gratitude to the Special Representative and all Mission staff who have contributed to UNMIK’s work over the last 25 years.

With conditions on the ground now unrecognisable from 1999, we believe it is a good moment for the Council to review UNMIK’s role and responsibilities. This will ensure it can continue to effectively support security, stability and human rights in Kosovo, in a way that reflects the world of 2024.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 22 April 2024.

The Minister for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon visits Bahrain to discuss regional security with partners.

• Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon arrives in Bahrain today (Sunday 21 April)
• the Minister will visit the UK’s Naval Support Facility in Bahrain where the UK has supported operations against illegal and dangerous Iran-backed Houthi attacks against international shipping
• during his visit, he is expected to meet with counterparts to discuss the situation in Israel and Gaza, regional security, and the Red Sea

The UK Minister of State for the Middle East has arrived in Bahrain today (Sunday 21 April) for talks on upholding regional security and reaffirming the UK’s commitment to tackling the dangerous threat posed by Iran-backed proxies and partners.

Lord Ahmad will visit the UK Maritime Component Command at the Naval Support Facility from where the UK is supporting Operation Prosperity Guardian and Operation Poseidon Archer alongside international partners.

The operations have sought to deter Houthi aggression and protect international shipping from the Houthis’ reckless and indiscriminate attacks against commercial and military vessels, including the UK contributions to the international taskforce from Royal Navy ships HMS Diamond and HMS Richmond.

In meetings with Bahrain’s National Security Advisor, Foreign Minister and Interior Minister, Lord Ahmad will also discuss the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza, reiterating the UK’s efforts towards securing an immediate pause in the fighting to get more life-saving aid into Gaza faster and through as many routes as possible.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for Middle East, said:

At this critical period, we must do all we can – including working with key partners – to strengthen regional stability and security and push for de-escalation.

The UK and Bahrain are close partners and they have a crucial role to play in the region and I look forward to discussing our ongoing efforts towards alleviating the dire humanitarian suffering in Gaza by getting more aid in through as many routes as possible and to get hostages out.

We must also work closely together to address the threat posed by the Iran-backed Houthis in the Red Sea and make progress towards peace and security in the Middle East, most importantly securing an irreversible pathway to delivering a two-state solution of Israel and Palestine.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 22 April 2024.

David Cameron will visit Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Mongolia to increase engagement with this pivotal region of the world.

The Foreign Secretary will visit Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Mongolia to as part of government ambition to increase engagement with this pivotal region of the world. He will meet leaders across the region to deepen cooperation on shared challenges, from counter-terrorism to climate change.

He will support global opportunities for young people, by ensuring that English language teachers across the region will have access to tailored British Council English language teaching materials. He will double the amount of funding for Chevening scholarships, so more people can study at Britain’s world-class universities.

He will support British business to create jobs and growth from Bridgend to Bishkek. He will show that British business provides the sustainable, quality investment that can drive growth without compromising the region’s hard won sovereignty.

The Foreign Secretary, David Cameron, said:

We live in a contested, competitive world. If you want to protect and promote British interests you need to get out there and compete.

Central Asia is at the epicentre of some of the biggest challenges we face and it’s vital for the UK and the region that we drive forward its future prosperity.

The Foreign Secretary will anchor top-level relationships between the UK and Central Asian states and Mongolia, solidifying our role as a long-term partner in the region. He will advance discussions on sanctions circumvention, human rights and reform.

He will use the visit to announce £50 million new development funding for the Central Asia and Eastern Neighbourhood region over the next 3 years. UK funding will not only boost regional growth and economic resilience but build trade and cooperation between our countries, making the region and the UK safer and more prosperous.

During the visit, the Foreign Secretary will visit an array of important sites including a hydro-electric project in Tajikistan, a canal irrigation site in Kyrgyzstan and a cultural site in Mongolia.

David Cameron is the first British Foreign Secretary to visit Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan and the first to Uzbekistan since 1997. It is also the first visit to Mongolia at this level in over decade. This week’s visit underlines the UK government’s ambition to increase engagement with this pivotal region, and is a crucial moment to drive forward British values, build our geopolitical relationship and deliver opportunities for people in the region and the UK.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 19 April 2024.

Statement by Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the UN Security Council meeting on Sudan.

Thank you Presidency, and once again I thank Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo and Director Wosornu for her briefing, and now I have the pleasure of thanking his Excellency Mr Ibn Chambas for his briefing and also for underling to us the value of AU-UNSC cooperation.

I would like to make three points that are grounded in the aspirations of the Sudanese people, the suffering they endure, and their hopes for a peaceful future.

First, this week marked five years since the Sudanese people demonstrated their aspirations for self-determination when their protests ended decades of dictatorship.

These hopes have been dashed by the Rapid Support Forces and Sudanese Armed Forces.

Second, Sudan is now in the grip of the world’s worst hunger and displacement crisis.  Deliberate obstruction and targeting of aid convoys is preventing life-saving supplies from reaching those most in need.

Civilians are being murdered, women and girls are being raped. Villages are being looted and burned to the ground.

Through Resolution 2724 this Council joined the UN Secretary-General, the African Union, and the League of Arab States to call on the warring parties to silence the guns during the Holy Month of Ramadan.  But they ignored this united international call for peace and inflicted further hardship on the Sudanese people.

The United Kingdom is also concerned by the growing tensions in El-Fasher.  The humanitarian consequences of full-scale conflict in and around the city would be catastrophic.

We call on the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces and also armed movements present in the city to take measures to de-escalate and we underline all parties’ obligations under international humanitarian law, including to protect civilians.

Third, it is not too late for Sudan to return from the brink.  For this to happen, we need first, the warring parties should return to negotiations including through the Jeddah process, to agree a durable ceasefire, and support a political process designed to restore civilian rule.

The Sudanese authorities need to uphold their commitments to facilitate crossline and cross-border humanitarian access, and immediately restore the vital Adre border route.

Third, external actors providing material support to either warring faction are prolonging the bloodshed. Those who have influence with the warring parties need to use this constructively, to bring them to the negotiating table.

President, as we announced at the Paris conference, the United Kingdom will double its humanitarian aid to almost $110 million in the next year.  But without sustained humanitarian access, it will not reach those most in need, nor help to avert famine.

This anniversary is an unacceptable milestone in an unjustifiable conflict.  We once again call on the warring parties to end the fighting now, to remove barriers to humanitarian delivery, and to engage in a political process.

I thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 19 April 2024.

Explanation of vote by Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the UN Security Council meeting on Palestinian membership of the UN.

The United Kingdom reiterates its commitment to making progress towards a two-state solution, in which a safe and secure Israel lives alongside a sovereign, viable Palestinian state.

We agree that the people of the West Bank and Gaza must be given the political perspective of a credible route to a Palestinian state and a new future. And it needs to be irreversible. This is not entirely in our gift. But our recognition of a Palestinian state should be part of it.

We believe that such recognition of Palestinian statehood should not come at the start of a new process, but it doesn’t have to be at the very end of the process.

We must start with fixing the immediate crisis in Gaza.

Gaza is Occupied Palestinian Territory and must be part of a future Palestinian state.

However, Hamas is still in control of parts of Gaza and Israeli hostages remain in captivity – this shows that we are still at the start of the process.

Ensuring Hamas is no longer in charge of Gaza and removing Hamas’ capacity to launch attacks against Israel are essential and unavoidable steps on the road to lasting peace; as is working together to support the new Palestinian government as it takes much-needed steps on reform and resumes governance in Gaza as well as the West Bank.

We abstained on this resolution today because we must keep our focus on securing an immediate pause in order to get aid in and hostages out; then making progress towards a sustainable ceasefire without a return to destruction, fighting and loss of life.

Our Foreign Secretary has been in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories this week to offer our support towards achieving this.

We will continue to work urgently to help bring peace and galvanise a political process towards a two-state solution which provides justice and security for both Israelis and Palestinians.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 19 April 2024.

UK Minister for the Indo-Pacific Anne-Marie Trevelyan will begin a multi-stop visit to China on Friday to further and protect British interests.

The Minister will be visiting Beijing and Hong Kong, as well as Shanghai and Tianjin – holding meetings with the authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong, as well as engagements with a cross section of society including UK businesses, academics, journalists and civil society.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan will be raising topics across the breadth of the UK-China relationship, including the importance of cooperation on global issues such as ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, helping to restore stability in the Middle East and tackling climate change. China is the world’s largest investor in sustainable energy and the largest emitter of carbon, demonstrating the importance of engaging with them on such topics.

The Minister will also raise areas of concern, including human rights in Xinjiang and Tibet, and the erosion of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong.

Minister for the Indo-Pacific Anne-Marie Trevelyan said:

We need China to play a constructive role in the biggest foreign policy issues of the day like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East.

In Hong Kong, I will raise concerns on the passage and implementation of national security laws as well as discussing our important trade links. In Beijing I will be clear about our right to act when China breaks its international commitments or violates human rights.

I will also look to strengthen UK-China cooperation on issues across the world that affect us all – from improving AI safety to tackling climate change.

It is right we have discussions face to face and raise these issues directly with the centre of the Chinese system, making clear the UK’s position with the decision-makers in Beijing and Hong Kong.

Background

The UK takes a multifaceted approach to China over three pillars, which are set out in the Integrated Review Refresh:

• first, to protect national security whenever the Chinese Communist Party poses a threat to UK people or prosperity
• second, to align cooperation with friends and allies in the Indo-Pacific and across the world to uphold international law, and
• third, to engage directly with China to promote stable relations   Robust action has been taken to protect UK interests and values, including creating new powers to block any Chinese investment that risks national security, and the new powers in the National Security Act will help ensure that the UK remains the hardest operating environment for malign activity.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 18 April 2024.

Statement by Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East.

Let me start by reiterating that the UK condemns in the strongest terms Iran’s unprecedented attack against Israel, as well as its violation of Jordan and Iraq’s airspace.

The UK continues to call for de-escalation and remains steadfast in our commitment to protecting and upholding stability in the region.

Iran’s actions do nothing to advance the prospects for peace in Israel and Gaza.

President, the UK condemns the October 7th attacks unequivocally and calls for the unconditional and immediate release of all the hostages.

The United Kingdom remains resolved to work with international partners to urgently secure an immediate pause to get aid in and hostages out, and then progress towards a permanent, sustainable ceasefire without a return to fighting and loss of life.

We also urgently call for the full implementation of resolution 2720, to protect civilians and enable humanitarian assistance.

There is a devastating and growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Gazans need more aid, and they need it now.

We welcome Israel’s commitments to fully open Ashdod port and the Erez checkpoint – and to increase capacity through the Jordan land corridor. We are resolved that the international community will work with Israel to see these vital changes fully implemented.

As my Foreign Secretary made clear during his visit to the region yesterday, we must maintain our focus on getting more aid into Gaza and getting hostages out.

For our part, the UK has trebled our aid commitment this financial year. We will keep doing everything we can to get more aid in by land, sea, and air to reach people in desperate need in Gaza.

President, we support a two-state solution that guarantees security and stability for both the Israeli and Palestinian people.

We must give the people of the West Bank and Gaza the political perspective of a credible route to a Palestinian state and a new future. And it needs to be irreversible.

This is not entirely in our gift. However, Britain and our partners can help by confirming our commitment to a sovereign, viable Palestinian state.

On recognition, this cannot come at the start of the process, but it does not have to be the very end of the process.

Our long-standing position has been that we will recognise a Palestinian State at a time that is most conducive to the peace process. That pathway must start with fixing the immediate crisis in Gaza.

President, we must focus collectively on the vital elements for a lasting peace. These include:

• the release of all hostages;
• the formation of a new Palestinian Government for the West Bank and Gaza, accompanied by an international support package;
• removing Hamas’s capacity to launch attacks against Israel;
• Hamas no longer being in charge of Gaza;
• and as I have mentioned, a political horizon which provides a credible and irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution.

Finally, President, I would like to address the ongoing settlement expansion and demolition of Palestinian properties in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We are clear that settlements are illegal under international law, and once again urge Israel to halt settlement expansion immediately. The UK remains committed to acting robustly in support of peace and stability in the region.

President, let me end by reiterating the UK’s commitment to a two-state solution and turning this Council’s words into actions. We must work together to make this vision for peace a reality.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 18 April 2024.

UK, US and Canada regret Russia’s lack of response to the Vienna Mechanism of March 2024 on prison conditions and call for immediate humanitarian release of Vladimir Kara-Murza.

Madam Chair,

I am delivering this statement on behalf of the United Kingdom, the United States, and my own country Canada. We align ourselves fully with the statement just made by Denmark on behalf of the participating States who invoked the Vienna Mechanism on 22 March 2024, and would add the following views.

It is evident that Russia continues to completely disregard its international human rights obligations and its OSCE human dimension commitments. Russia’s refusal to respond to the questions posed last under the Vienna Mechanism is yet further evidence of their fear of transparency and accountability.

Russia today is haunted by fear. Ordinary citizens are afraid of exercising their basic human rights. Russia’s rulers are afraid that their fabricated reality is so weak that it will not withstand examination or comment. With self-centered conceit, the Kremlin finds contrary opinions intolerable, and responds to expressions of political opinion with repression.

In an effort to silence dissent, Russian authorities have engaged in the harassment, intimidation, and persecution of civil society members, human rights defenders, journalists, opposition figures, and anyone speaking out against Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. This systemic political repression has resulted in many arbitrary and unlawful detentions; subsequently many prisoners, particularly those imprisoned for political reasons, have reportedly been subjected to torture and other mistreatment at the hands of the state.

States are obliged under international law to treat all individuals deprived of their liberty with humanity and respect for their inherent dignity; they must also respect fair trial guarantees. Yet credible reports indicate that political prisoners in Russia face sexual and gender-based violence, threats of sexual abuse, and prolonged punitive detention in isolation cells. They are often deprived of access to adequate medical care, refused prompt access to their lawyers, and are denied contact with family members.

The sudden death of Alexei Navalny in a Russian penal colony, following years of detention in poor conditions which, according to UN experts, amounted to torture and ill-treatment, is tragically emblematic of state repression in Russia.

Our governments also remain deeply concerned about the ongoing detention of Vladimir Kara-Murza, who we spoke of last week in this Council. Russian authorities have callously disregarded Mr Kara-Murza’s declining health, refusing him the urgent medical treatment he needs. His degrading and inhumane prison conditions are clearly designed to inflict further damage to both his physical and mental health. We again call on the Russian authorities to release him immediately on humanitarian grounds.

We reiterate our call to the Russian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all those unjustly imprisoned in Russia on political grounds, including: Oleg Orlov, leader of the Nobel Prize winning human rights organization Memorial who proudly declared that he opposed the war; journalist Maria Ponomarenko, for telling the truth about the conduct of the Russian Army; Alexandra Skochilenko, who received a seven-year sentence for posting anti-war stickers in a food store; Evgenia Berkovich for anti-war poetry; activists in the Navalny anti-corruption foundation Lilia Chaysheva, Ksenia Fadeeva, Vadim Ostanin, Alina Olekhnovich, and Ivan Trofimov; and also, IIgor Baryshnikov, Alexey Gorinov, and Ilya Yashin. And we reiterate our call for the immediate and unconditional release of the three OSCE employees detained by Russia: Vadym Golda, Maxim Petrov and Dmytro Shabanov.

These are just a few examples from a very long list. In addition to administrative punishment, foreign agent designations and other restrictions, human rights organization OVD-INFO calculates that there have been 1447 politically motivated criminal prosecutions in Russia since 2022.

We call on Russia to respond to the Vienna Mechanism and to take due account of the recommendations made by the Moscow Mechanism Rapporteur in 2022 and the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Russia in 2023. The latter expressly called for Russia to ensure an independent and impartial investigation of “all allegations of torture and ill-treatment in custody” and to prosecute and hold accountable those responsible.

The Kremlin’s utter disregard for its human rights obligations and its OSCE commitments is a legitimate point of discussion for this Council. We call upon the Russian government to respect its human rights obligations, to allow dissenting voices to express their views without fear of persecution, to end the use of arbitrary and unlawful detention, and to ensure that all those detained are treated with dignity and have access to adequate medical care.

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 18 April 2024.

Ambassador Neil Holland thanks the three OSCE Committee chairs for their work to uphold OSCE principles and commitments.

Thank you, Chair, and thank you to the Chairs of the three Committees for presenting today. Dear Peter, Florian, Anne-Marie: we support the approaches you have proposed. What runs clearly through each is that OSCE Committees strive to uphold the principles and commitments that we have all signed up to as members of this organisation. Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine strikes at the very heart of these commitments and principles. Russia’s war must continue to command our full attention.

Dear Peter, we welcome your appointment and proposed work-plan, particularly your focus on cyber and online activity. 2024 is an important year for democratic institutions and processes. Millions of voters go to the polls in elections, in the UK and elsewhere across our region. This presents a significant opportunity for interference and influence by malign actors. We must be vigilant and increase our awareness of these threats.

Dear Florian, we welcome your continued leadership and work plan, particularly your proposal to hold sessions on food security and connectivity. Instability has a significant detrimental impact on the economies and environment across our region, and the UK values the Economic and Environmental Committee’s flexible approach to respond to new threats on the ground.

Dear Anne-Marie, we welcome your continued leadership and proposed work plan. The UK especially welcomes the work you – with the Chair in forthcoming Supplementary Meetings – continue to lead with civil society. Thematic meetings this year on freedom of the media, torture, and cultural heritage in particular, provide an important platform to review the growing challenges to implementation of our human rights commitments. The UK will continue to work with you, as with the CiO, ODIHR, RFOM and others to defend the OSCE’s vital human dimension commitments and institutions, and to spotlight ways in which internal repression in some participating States has undermined shared security in the OSCE region.

Madam Chair, we need the OSCE now more than ever. Our shared principles and commitments sit at the heart of Euro-Atlantic security, and we will continue to work in the three Committees, with you as our CiO, and the Secretariat, institutions, and field missions – to uphold them. For Ukraine of course, but also for all of us in this room. Thank you.